Scott Styris: on the mend and breathing better than ever © Getty Images

Scott Styris will miss the forthcoming Tests against Sri Lanka after undergoing surgery on his left knee a fortnight ago, but is expected to be fit in time to join Middlesex on April 17.

Styris injured his knee playing in the State Shield in February and subsequently had an operation to remove a piece of cartilage. "It's the end of the season for me, which is unfortunate but I'm still going to Middlesex," he told The Dominion Post. "If I'm not a 100 per cent when I get there I should only be a week or so away from it, which is great. I'm not overly worried about it long-term and it wasn't that serious to start with. I went for a 35-minute run three days before I had the op so it was more the twisting and turning that got me."

Styris also admitted that he used the time off to correct another long-standing problem with his nose. "Basically I've been breathing out of one nostril so they've opened up the airway and it should help with breathing and sleeping."

There was better news for New Zealand regarding Ian Butler and Jacob Oram who are both back in training and expected to be fully fit in time for the tour of Zimbabwe in August. They are expected to undergo assessment to decide whether they need to remodel their actions to try and ease the wear and tear on their backs.